


we'll give the stars a break

by yourhope



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Believing Hearts Zine, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, They're so in love it's sick, like so much domestic fluff it's ridiculous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:07:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28839018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourhope/pseuds/yourhope
Summary: Their first night of living together proves to be a sleepless one for Diana and Akko.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 14
Kudos: 82





	we'll give the stars a break

**Author's Note:**

> I had the honor of writing this for the Believing Hearts zine and I'm so excited to finally share it with you all. I hope you enjoy!

At some point, Diana and Akko had lost track of time, though in truth, they had never been trying to find it. They didn’t care about how late it had gotten, nor about paying attention to the hands of the clock. For all they knew, those hands had come to a halt and time had stopped, but it didn’t bother them one bit. Because on that night, they wanted all the time in the world and if time was standing still, they would stand right beside it.

It began earlier in the evening when they had finished unpacking the last of Akko’s things. She had finally moved into the Cavendish manor and the excitement that bounced between them hadn’t diminished, not even when everyone else had gone to bed. Though they were more than happy to indulge themselves and lie together on the mattress they now shared, they couldn’t bring themselves to sleep, not even for a moment. 

Instead, they curled into another and lost themselves in whispered words as the lamp above their bed bathed them in a warm glow. And as they watched the light dance in each other’s eyes, they both knew that neither of them minded staying awake if it meant having moments like these.

Eventually, Akko dragged Diana out of bed, claiming that she was hungry and wanted a snack. It had been a long time since dinner and Diana had to admit her stomach was feeling quite empty as well. 

Speaking of dinner, “I wonder if there’s any dessert leftover,” Akko murmured in a barely there voice as they entered the kitchen.

“Not when you devoured it all,” Diana teased, though her volume was normal. “And what are you whispering for?”

Akko looked at her like the answer was obvious. “So we don’t get caught.”

Diana paused at the response before a gentle laugh spilled from her lips. “Are you afraid you’ll get in trouble? Akko, this is your home now. You can do as you please.”

A dreamy look clouded over Akko’s face like those were the words she had waited her entire life to hear. Her lips curled into a dopey smile. “Oh wow, please say that again.”

Diana felt like she had been anticipating this moment her entire life as well. “This is your home, Akko.” And just for fun, she added, “Our home.”

The charm of knowing they lived together had yet to wear off and it certainly wasn’t going to anytime soon, not when the reminder was so delightful. So they briefly allowed themselves to forget about what they came to the kitchen for and shared kisses sweeter than any dessert, because nothing felt better than knowing this was something they could always do.

“Mm,” Akko hummed after one particular kiss came to an end. “You know what I’m really in the mood for? Pancakes.”

“Pancakes?” Diana repeated. “At this hour?”

“I’ve actually been craving them for awhile. I almost considered having them for dinner, but I didn’t want anyone to think I was being silly. But since you said this is our home and we can do as we please, maybe it’s not too much to ask for pancakes after all.”

Diana chuckled and took Akko’s hands in hers, pecking her lips once more. “It certainly isn’t too much. We can make them if you like.”

Akko grinned. “Perfect.” She rubbed her thumbs over Diana’s knuckles and if it weren’t for their increasing hunger, they both knew they could stay like this forever. But as if on cue, Akko’s growling stomach broke them from their trance and the two made a silent agreement to make their pancakes as quickly as possible so their hands could go back to being free and dedicated to each other.

And with that shared thought, they went ahead and pulled out all the ingredients and got to work. Somehow in between a chorus of giggles, spilling flour, and accidentally dropping eggshells into their batter, they were able to make a modest stack of pancakes. Each one may have been slightly misshapen and varying in size, but Akko and Diana didn’t care. They were still perfect. Everything about tonight was perfect. 

Well, with the exception of maybe one thing.

“Do we really have to clean the dishes right now?” Akko whined after they had finished up their pancakes. Diana tried not to laugh at her disdain for chores that was so childish, but just so remarkably Akko.

“Of course we do. We can’t just leave this mess here.”

“But why do we have to do them by _hand_?” Akko all but cried with so much melodramatic despair that this time, Diana actually did laugh, while Akko gave a follow-up decree of “We’re witches, we can do magic!”

In between her giggling, she reminded Akko they left their wands in their bedroom.

“We can go get them.”

“There are only a few dishes. We can finish cleaning them in the time it would take to go to our room and back.” The manor was quite big, after all.

“But…” Akko tried to scramble for another excuse. However, she found she came up short so, reluctantly, she gave in and pouted. “Fine.”

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Diana said, her voice laced with sarcasm. Still, she leaned down and placed a kiss to Akko’s protruding bottom lip that tasted of maple. 

Truth be told, now that they lived together, doing these domestic tasks, even if it was something as dull as cleaning, excited Diana in a way she never thought possible. Even if Akko hated it, even if she could have left it for the staff to take care of in the morning (which she wasn’t so inconsiderate to do, anyhow), it was a task she didn’t _mind_ doing. As long as Akko was there to do it with her.

And as they washed their small amount of dishes and Diana saw the makings of a smile on Akko’s face despite how inconvenienced she felt earlier, she had a feeling they both were thinking the same thing.

“What should we do now?” Akko asked once their last dish was dried and put away. “I don’t feel like going back to bed.”

“We could go for a walk,” Diana suggested. 

Akko sent her a sly, knowing look. “Burn off those calories, you mean?”

Diana rolled her eyes halfway then darted them back down because Akko’s face, however impish, was still her favorite thing to look at. “If you hadn’t doused those pancakes in more syrup than necessary, I wouldn’t be so worried about the amount of calories, you know.”

Akko laughed and took Diana’s hand. “One day I’ll get you to make peace with your inner sweet tooth,” she promised, knowing she had countless days and then some to see that promise through. “But okay, we can go for a walk, you health nut.”

Diana was just so relieved to once again feel the warmth of Akko’s skin against her own that she ignored the jab.

When they made it outdoors, they found themselves following along a path that circled the house. They most likely should have gone to get their wands to use as lights, but there was just something so alluring about being immersed in the night, having nothing but the moon and the stars accompanying them, that made the darkness worthwhile. 

“It's so pretty,” Akko sighed, eyes locked onto the sky above. “The stars look even brighter than usual tonight, don’t they?”

The words set off a bell inside Diana’s head, but she didn’t know why its ring was so familiar. She took in the stars for herself, which all did seem to be putting extra effort into their glow. It was a stunning sight, one that very nearly took her breath away. The stars as viewed from the Cavendish manor were always lovely but on this night, the only words she could use to describe them were ones writers had already been using in stories for ages.

That’s when the bell grew louder and it dawned on Diana where she had heard it before.

“It’s like a fairytale,” she said, facing Akko as an old memory resurfaced. “You and I. The stars. Right now, this all reminds me of a story I used to love as a child.”

Akko turned to her, intrigued. “Really?”

Diana nodded. “It was a story about two lovers who couldn’t sleep. Much like us, the only difference being they actually _wanted_ to sleep. They don’t know what to do, so they ask the moon for help and the moon tells them…well, I don’t quite remember, but it had something to do with the stars.” 

“I’ve never heard that story. Do you remember the name of it? We can look it up on my phone when we go back inside.” But Diana politely dismissed Akko’s offer.

“No need. I believe the storybook is still in our library. We could read it.”

Akko’s eyes lit up. “Oh, like a bedtime story!”

Diana grinned and said what was on both of their minds. “Except we won’t actually be going to bed, will we?”

They continued their walk, admiring the beauty of the night and each other, until they both felt they had their fill. Akko took it upon herself to lead them back indoors and toward the library, eager to find Diana’s aforementioned book. At one point, her pace picked up a bit too much and Diana had to remind her not to run through _their_ halls. Akko slowed down for the sole purpose of marveling over the fact that everything truly was now theirs.

Upon entering the Cavendish library which, to the surprise of no one, was plenty grand, it relieved Akko when Diana told her the library was well organized and she knew exactly where a children’s storybook would be kept. She guided them through the room, weaving between the shelves, until they reached one in particular. Numerous books sat upon it and Diana scanned the rows until she found the one she was looking for.

“Here it is,” she smiled, reaching out to grab it with her free hand. It was a worn, clothbound book in a deep blue color with a cartoonish yet tasteful design of the moon and numerous stars pressed into the cover with gold ink. Despite its wear, the book was clearly loved for it had been plenty taken care of over time. Diana held it gingerly in her hands as memories of her childhood came back to her. “My mother gave this book to me when I was young. I used to read the stories all the time, though I recall the one I told you about being my favorite.”

She let go of Akko’s hand to open the book and muscle memory took her to the middle where she knew the story was located. She was only a few pages off, but it was eventually found. Diana gazed down at the book, her hand tracing over the page. A delicate smile etched itself onto her face that she shared with Akko. Then she turned back to the story and took in its words for the first time in many years.

* * *

_There once were two lovers who could not sleep. Their bodies refused even when counting sheep. Many nights passed, but they spent all of them awake. Until they decided there wasn’t much more they could take._

_So while everyone else slept, they stood under the sky, and called to the moon who was way up high. They begged to get some sleep like the rest of their town. And in response, the moon sent a whisper down._

_“I’ll give you what you want if you do something for me. There are two stars in my sky who have grown quite tired, you see. They’ve shone for so long and have a few aches, so I’ll let them rest if you can shine in their place. When morning comes, you will then be free. In return, I’ll give you nights of wondrous sleep.”_

_The offer filled them both with incredible glee, so the lovers gave a nod and happily agreed. It was asked by the moon if they indeed were sure and the lovers made clear they wanted nothing more._

_Together they said, “We’ll give the stars a break and shine side by side as long as it takes. We may not be stars but our love is bright. It’s sure to light up even the darkest night.”_

_So they did as they promised and the moon was so pleased, the lovers were granted sleep with the loveliest dreams. The moon watched over them and couldn’t help but smile. They were the brightest stars it had seen in a long, long while._

* * *

“I think you and I would make pretty great stars,” Diana heard Akko say some time after they had left the library and found themselves in a nearby sitting room, relaxing together on a loveseat. 

Akko was leaning back into the pillows, while Diana’s head found purchase on her shoulder. This was something Akko enjoyed because the position granted her the opportunity to press kisses into Diana’s forehead whenever she saw fit, which Diana was not going to complain about. Across from where they sat was a window with the curtains drawn open. 

“If the requisite for what makes a good star is how much love it holds,” Diana began, taking in each constellation in view, “then, yes. I believe we would do quite well.”

“So, what do you say? Want to ask the moon for a favor and make it so?”

It was a charming idea, talking to the moon. But Diana didn’t care to ask for sleep, not when her reality held a better story than her dreams could ever create. “I don’t need any favors,” she said, squeezing Akko’s hand. “Everything is as it should be.”

She looked away from the window and when her eyes met Akko’s, she somehow saw more stars in them than she did outside.

“You’re right,” Akko agreed. “Besides, the lovers in that story should have had more fun. If I could, I’d stay awake with you forever. If we never slept, we could do all sorts of things together. And we’d be so bright, we could give every star a break because nothing else in the sky would shine like us.”

Diana’s shoulders shook with silent laughter because of course Akko would make a claim as bold as that. And all she could do was reach forward and kiss her because who was she to pretend she didn’t agree. But thoughts like those were for people to write about, and moments like these were for people to live. 

They had shared many kisses that night and they were sure to share many more, but until sleep finally came to take them away, this was the story they were happy with. Together, in their home, living something that not even a fairytale could replicate.

When they parted, Diana snuggled further into Akko and they melded together, finding bliss in the warmth of each other. They didn’t move, though they didn’t sleep either. They still didn’t know what time it was. Perhaps the sun would rise in a few hours and they would make it through the night with nothing but their love keeping them awake.

Or maybe they would succumb to sleep in due time before the first rays of sunlight even had a chance to peek over the horizon. Either way, it didn’t matter to them. Because they knew when they woke up, they could just do it all over again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
